Black Letters
by Neurotica
Summary: Complete. AU. During the summer before sixth year, Harry begins receiving strange letters. The first asking him for his toast...
1. The First Letter

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything familiar in this story. That privilege belongs to the one and only JK Rowling.**

* * *

_**Black Letters**_

By Neurotica

_One: The First Letter_

Night time on Privet Drive was a peaceful time. Parents tucked their small children into their beds and read them stories about far away lands with dragons and wizards. They left the doors cracked open, just in case, and headed down the stairs for a quick night cap before tucking themselves in. The stories the parents of Privet Drive read were things they knew could never exist; there was no such thing as magic, or witches who flew around on broomsticks, or evil wizards who existed only to terrorize the world. But the children enjoyed the stories, and that was all that mattered.

The inhabitants of Number Four, however, had proof that sort of thing existed. Vernon and Petunia Dursley had worked hard for nearly six years to keep what they knew to themselves. They despised anything that didn't fulfill their idea of normalcy. Right at the top of their list, highlighted in bright yellow marker was nearly sixteen-year-old boy who occupied the Dursleys' smallest bedroom.

While the other residents slept on Privet Drive, Harry Potter remained wide awake, staring out his window into the dark sky. Two weeks into his summer holiday from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry had spent every day in the exact same way: wake up, have a quick breakfast before his so-called family awoke, and spent the day wandering around the neighborhood. The only difference in his routine came on Tuesday nights when Tonks would meet him at the park and keep him company for a few hours.

So far, he'd kept his promise to the Order; he'd written them every few days, and stayed out of trouble.

Trouble.

Harry could laugh at the idea of staying out of trouble. Ever since his first year at Hogwarts, no matter how hard he tried to avoid it, Harry ran into trouble. Or rather, trouble usually ran into him. Whether it was three headed dogs locked up in the third floor, or Dementors on the Quidditch pitch, or mermaids in the lake, trouble of the worse sort found Harry Potter.

Laughter, however, was not something Harry had found in the last month or so. It wasn't something Harry had felt like doing since before he left school. Not since…

Harry shook his head, causing his naturally unruly hair to cover his emerald green eyes. He wouldn't think about that; he couldn't think about that.

The letters he sent to his friends and the Order were as cheerful as Harry could make them. They didn't contain much; usually only that he was okay, summer was hot, and the Muggles were normal.

To be honest, only two of the three things Harry included in his letters weren't lies. Yes, the summer was hot, and yes, the Muggles were normal, but Harry was not okay. Not by a long shot. He was miserable, depressed. He'd just lost the only person he had ever considered a parent that he could remember. He'd nearly caused his friends to die. And that damned Prophecy followed him wherever he went.

Every time he had attempted to sleep since his return to Privet Drive, he dreamed of that night. He was almost tempted to ask Tonks to bring a Dreamless Sleep Potion the next time she visited him, but he knew that probably wouldn't do any good. Even when he was awake he thought about it…

He meant what he said to Dumbledore that night. He didn't want to be himself any longer. He didn't want the fame, or the pain. He didn't want any of it. Sometimes, Harry thought it would be best just to leave the wizarding world and live as a Muggle. He could exchange all the gold his parents had left him and start a life somewhere else. Australia sounded good… He wanted to separate himself from his friends, to keep them safe. But Voldemort was back, and finally the world believed it. No one was safe.

Harry lay on his bed, willing himself to stay awake. He didn't want to see the Veil again, nor did he want to see his friends harmed. An hour later, his eyes closed, taking him back to it all.

* * *

Just before the Dursleys woke, Harry stumbled blurry eyed down the stairs and into the kitchen. Making the least amount of noise possible, Harry prepared some toast with butter, and quietly left the house. Munching on his breakfast only to have something to do, Harry walked down the street to the park he frequented every day of the summer thus far.

He sat down on an old rusted bench and stared at the ground, his toast lay forgotten next to him. His wand was in his jeans, just in case. One could never know what wouldl happen in this world, as he'd learned too many times in his young life.

Harry could feel eyes upon him and looked around. The park was empty. None of the bushes or trees moved. Perhaps one of the Order of the Phoenix members was watching him from under an Invisibility Cloak?

_Let them watch_, Harry thought dully.

Staring straight ahead over the trees, Harry failed to see the small brown owl land next to him. The owl began to eat Harry's toast, a letter sitting beside it.

Harry turned his head to see what was making the crunching noises and raised an eyebrow at the animal. It wouldn't do to have a Muggle see an owl in broad day light. He picked up the letter and realized it was only a sheet of parchment folded over. There was no name written on the outside. Cautiously, Harry opened it and read the tiny scrawl:

'_Think I could have some of that toast?'_ was all it said.

Harry jumped up from the bench and pulled out his wand from his back pocket. He looked wildly around the park; it was still empty.

"Who's there?" Harry called, feeling immediately stupid. He narrowed his eyes to search the bushes. It wouldn't be the first time something was watching him from shrubs, after all. There was nothing in them, however, as far as he could see. He looked back to the owl that had been staring at him throughout the whole ordeal. It hooted once and took off into the trees when Harry waved his hand to shoo the animal away.

If an Order member had been nearby, surely they would have shown themselves. Right? And a Death Eater didn't send an owl to ask for toast… If someone was messing with him, it was a very weak joke.

Harry stuck his wand back in his pocket and headed back to Number Four.

Inside the house, the Dursleys were awake and in the kitchen having breakfast. Harry quickly and quietly made his way to his bedroom and sat at his desk. He would spend the day working on his summer course work. It had to be done sometime…


	2. Unexpected Visitors

_**Black Letters**_

By Neurotica

_Two: Unexpected Visitors_

Two nights after the note in the park, Harry was once again wide awake. His alarm clock said it was 2:30a.m. Hedwig was out hunting, leaving Harry in his room to stare into the neighborhood again. His vision was blurry and his eyelids were heavy, but Harry wouldn't sleep. Last night, he'd once again been taken to the Department of Mysteries in his dreams. Once again, he'd seen Sirius fall behind the veil. Once again, he had awoken with his scar prickling. It was a routine Harry was becoming quite familiar with, and he was quickly tiring of it.

In the distance, he could see a black shape flying towards him. Hedwig would bringing him back a dead frog or, even better, a dead rat to try, in her own way, to cheer Harry.

But it wasn't Harry's faithful snowy owl; it was the same small brown owl from the park. Instinct told him to slam the window shut. Instinct told him to take out his wand and curse the animal. But Harry stood there and waited for the owl to land on the window sill, once again baring a folded piece of parchment.

It had the same untidy scrawl, this time reading:

'_You should be in bed.'_

Harry immediately shooed the animal away and finally closed his window. Hedwig would let him know when she returned. Harry watched the animal fly over the houses in the direction of the park, and dive down to the trees.

Maybe it was Tonks, or Dung, sending him messages. But why wouldn't they come out at the park the other day? Tomorrow would be Tuesday, the day me would meet Tonks for their weekly conversation in the park. He would ask her then.

* * *

"Boy! Where are you going?" Vernon Dursley roared as Harry tried to duck out of the house undetected after dinner.

Harry's shoulders sagged and he rolled his eyes. "I'm going to meet Tonks in the park. If I'm late, she'll come looking for me," he said, turning to face his uncle.

The vein in Vernon's head was throbbing visibly, and Harry knew from experience that it was from mentioning the young witch's name in his presence. Without another word, Vernon huffed and waddled into the sitting room with Petunia and Dudley.

Harry left the house and hurried down the street before Vernon or Petunia tried to call him back. Turning the corner into the park, Harry laid eyes, not on Tonks' usual get-up (an old lady with stringy gray hair), but a new one. Harry raised an eyebrow as he thought about the good job she'd done. The man in his mid-thirties had pre-mature gray hair mixed into his normal sandy color. The Muggle clothes on the man were worn and faded, but in overall good shape.

Harry sat next to the Metamorphagus without looking at her. "Nice one, Tonks," he said.

He had expected the usual "Wotcher, Harry" but it never came. Harry remained staring out into the park, and thus didn't see Tonks' lips twitch or her eyebrow raise slightly. Nor did he see her amber colored eyes twinkling. "I'm not Tonks, Harry. But I will be having a chat with her if she's impersonating members of the Order," said a quiet, hoarse male voice.

Harry jumped visibly and turned to see his former professor, Remus Lupin, watching him amusedly. "Professor Lupin!" Harry said, surprised.

Lupin chuckled. "Hello, Harry."

"I wasn't expecting you here. Sorry," Harry said, feeling embarrassed.

"Not a problem, Harry. Tonks asked me to switch duty with her tonight. She's got a very heavy workload at the Ministry these days," Lupin explained.

"Ah," Harry said. _Duty, is it?_ He thought.

"She's terribly sorry," Lupin continued. "She does enjoy your weekly chats."

Harry nodded mutely.

The two sat in silence for a few moments before Lupin spoke again. "How are you, Harry?" he asked quietly.

Harry turned to face him. His face was more exhausted than usual. "Fine," Harry lied. Lupin had his own issues to deal with; he didn't need to add _'worry about Harry'_ to the list.

Lupin wasn't convinced – not even close. But he didn't press the subject. "We should be able to get you out of here fairly soon. If you'd like, of course."

Harry smiled slightly. "Yeah? To the Burrow?"

The smile that Lupin had on his face previously began to fade, and Harry knew what that implied. One of the last places he wanted to see right now was Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. It was second only to Number Four.

"Oh," he said flatly.

Lupin seemed to know exactly Harry was thinking. "Ron and Hermione will be there," he said. Harry nodded. "Harry, I know how you feel about returning there, but I'm afraid it's one of the last safe places, anymore."

"So what's going on with Voldemort?" Harry asked, changing the subject as quickly as possible.

Lupin watched him for a moment, but told Harry things that had been going on with the wizarding world. No deaths at Voldemort's wand had occurred, but it was only a matter of time.

When the sun had gone down, Harry announced that he needed to return home. Lupin silently walked him to the front door of Number Four. Before Harry could open the door, however, the older wizard gently grabbed his elbow.

"Take care of yourself, Harry. We'll talk again soon. And owl if you need anything," Lupin said quietly.

Harry nodded his thanks and attempted a small smile before entering the house, leaving Lupin to stare after him.

* * *

He woke suddenly as he saw it happen again. He didn't know how much longer he could handle it. He moved the hair off his sweaty forehead, and rubbed his prickling scar. He got out of bed, leaned on the window sill, and stared out into the night.

How much longer would he have to endure watching his godfather die? He remembered back to last year at this time when he would dream about the cemetery, and Cedric. He hadn't known Cedric as well as Sirius, but both deaths had been his fault. Harry convinced Cedric to take the cup with him; he'd led his friends into the Ministry, causing Sirius to have to come and rescue him.

Harry regretted not knowing Sirius better, not getting to spend more time with him, not getting to say goodbye. His eyes began to sting, and he moved them away from the sky to the sidewalk in front of the house. Instead of it being empty like any other night, there was a large black animal staring back at him. Harry couldn't make out what kind of animal it was, but the longer he stared, the wider his eyes grew.

It couldn't be…

Harry rubbed his eyes roughly with his hands and looked back to the sidewalk – the empty sidewalk. Harry felt his heart sink, and felt like a complete dolt for thinking he saw what he did. He'd wanted to see Sirius so badly, he was imagining things now.

_Wonderful,_ he thought dully. He went back to his bed and lay down again. He really needed a good night's sleep…


	3. Night Caps and Midnight Meetings

_**Black Letters**_

By Neurotica

_Three: Night Caps and Midnight Meetings_

Sitting alone in the basement kitchen of Number Twelve, Grimmuald Place, Remus Lupin rubbed his eyes tiredly. It was the middle of the night and he still couldn't sleep. The past few weeks had been Remus' definition of hell. First losing the last true friend he had in the world, and now dealing with Voldemort.

Like Harry, he had been reluctant to return to the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, but he really had no other place to go. He'd sold his childhood home in the woods to move in there with Sirius and to buy them both some much needed clothes.

Kingsley Shacklebolt had offered Remus a guest bedroom in his home just outside London, but the werewolf kindly refused. He couldn't afford to pay Kingsley rent, and he would never freeload off a friend.

Sirius had been a different story. He flat out refused to return to Number Twelve if Remus didn't come with him. Sirius said there was no reason for his friend to Apparate every time the Order met. It was a lame excuse, and Remus suspected Sirius just didn't want to be alone in his childhood home. Remus didn't blame him one bit, and if he was honest with himself – which he usually was – it was good to have someone to spend his days with. No, it was great.

For over a year, they'd gotten reacquainted with one another. They'd grown used to each other's annoying little habits. Like how Remus had to have his newspaper folded neatly in the mornings, or how Sirius would crack his knuckles when it got too quiet. Overall, it was going quite well in Remus' opinion. Until, of course, that night.

Also like Harry, Remus visited that night in his dreams. He woke up finding it difficult to breath, and would need to go for a walk to clear his thoughts. It wasn't easy losing a friend, and it was worse losing a friend twice.

When Sirius had been taken to Azkaban, another part of Remus died. The Marauders had been so close up until a few months before it all happened, and Remus couldn't wrap his mind around _why_ Sirius would betray them. No one loved the Potters more than Sirius – not even Remus could claim that. Sirius would have died protecting them, and, in the end, he did.

"Morning, Lupin," said a deep voice from behind him.

The werewolf turned in surprise, not because somebody was in the house- people filed in and out all day, everyday. Remus was surprised that somebody was still awake at this ungodly hour.

"Hello, Kingsley," Remus said.

Kingsley collapsed, exhausted, in a chair next to Remus. "I've forgotten how busy the Ministry is when there's a war going on," he commented casually as if they were merely discussing the weather.

Remus chuckled. "I can imagine."

"You see Harry today?"

"Yes."

"How is he?"

"Miserable. He didn't come out and say it, but you can see it in his eyes," Remus said.

Kingsley nodded. "Since we're both wide awake as it seems, would you care for a night cap?"

"Absolutely," Remus said, summoning two glasses and a full bottle of Firewhiskey from a cabinet.

* * *

Harry stared wide-eyed at the third letter he'd received from the mysterious writer. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out what was going on. It had been a week since he'd received the last one, but instead of requesting food, or suggesting Harry get some sleep, this one asked for something different.

'_Meet me in the park at Midnight.'_

Now, we all know that Harry James Potter is not stupid by any means. He's made mistakes, yes, terrible mistakes, but everyone makes mistakes. And Harry learned tough lessons from those mistakes.

Regardless of his past experiences, Harry found himself looking from the untidy black scrawl to his bedside clock. _10:47_, it read.

Did he dare? He had to admit to himself that he was curious to find out who was sending him one-lined notes. Who would possibly want to meet him in a dark park at midnight? That was easy to answer: Voldemort and his Death Eaters… They all wanted him dead. But they couldn't touch him in the sanctuary of his mother's blood… right?

The handwriting looked familiar, but perhaps that was only because he'd received two previous letters. He knew it wasn't one of his friends; Ron's writing was far worse, and Hermione's was always perfectly neat. It wasn't Lupin – his was as neat as Hermione's.

The only person the writing partially reminded Harry of was Sirius, and that was so far fetched even the bloody Boy-Who-Lived wouldn't think about it for more than a second.

Making a reckless decision, Harry went to his Hogwarts trunk and pulled out his father's old Invisibility Cloak. If he was going to do this, he was going to do it right.

He tiptoed down the stairs, being sure to jump over the creaking one at the bottom, and headed out the front door. With the cloak covering his entire body, Harry went to the park, and waited. The second hand wristwatch he'd gotten off Dudley because it seemed to grow too small for his cousin said it was _11:58._

For two minutes he waited on top of a slide. Harry's eyes grew wide in anticipation, his wand grasped tightly in his hand, as he watched a large black shape emerge from the bushes.


	4. The Definition of Impossible

_**Black Letters**_

By Neurotica

_Four: The Definition of Impossible_

It was impossible.

It was the bloody ­_definition_ of impossible.

His eyes were playing tricks on him. He needed new glasses. He needed to be admitted to St. Mungo's spell damage ward. Maybe Fudge and Skeeter were right and his brains really were addled.

But no; Fudge and Skeeter _weren't _right. He didn't need to go to St Mungo's. And he definitely didn't need new glasses.

Harry _was _seeing the impossible. The large Grim-like dog had emerged from the bushes. Currently, it was looking around the park, waiting, sniffing the air. Harry's eyes widened to the point that they threatened to fall out of their sockets. The dog couldn't see him under the cloak, but surely it could smell him…

For a moment, Harry considered throwing the cloak from his body and running to the dog. For a moment, Harry wanted to cry out in joy. For a moment, Harry didn't feel so miserable. But only for a moment.

Because it was impossible. He'd learned two years ago that no spell could bring somebody back from the dead. But Sirius hadn't died a normal death… Harry had no idea what was going on behind that veil. Hadn't he and Luna and Neville and Ginny all heard those voices?

Common sense finally kicked in. Maybe it was just a stray dog who resembled is late godfather's Animagus form. He couldn't have possibly been the only dog running around like that.

No, dogs didn't get up on their hind legs, lie across swings, and begin to move back and forth. That was an Animagus, Harry would bet his Firebolt on it. Could Polyjuice Potions make a wizard an Animagus? No, he knew enough about the potion to know that couldn't happen…

It had to be a trap, then, some evil ploy of Voldemort's. Harry tightened the grip on his wand until his knuckles turned bright white and began to hurt.

He didn't take his eyes off the dog. Doing so could quite possibly mean his premature death. He watched as the dog sniffed the air again and turned its head quickly to Harry's direction. The dog emitted a soft, longing bark. Slowly, the dog backed off the swing and walked towards Harry's slide. Harry didn't move as the dog stalked right past him. Cautiously, Harry turned his head to see where it went. It seemed the dog had left the park; there was nothing in Harry's line of sight, at least. Closing his eyes and breathing deeply, Harry began to relax.

A playful bark sounded at Harry's feet. The dog had its front paws on one of the slide's steps, its tail wagging. Harry jumped so far in the air as he spun around that he fell backwards down the slide.

Groaning from his head hitting the metal slide, Harry momentarily forgot what was happening. It wasn't until he saw the worried face of Sirius Black looming over him did he remember. The cloak had fallen off him as he fell, ten feet away. Right next to his wand.

"Get away from me," Harry said frantically, trying to scoot across the sand to his wand. He knew a Death Eater would only laugh at Harry's attempts of escape, let him think he was going to live, before killing him.

The man who was impersonating Harry's godfather (because that was the only plausible explanation for all of this) stood back, looking startled. "Harry…" he said quietly.

Harry shook his head, trying to get the stars that had erupted in his eyes to go away. With the ringing in his ears, the man even _sounded_ like Sirius. He stood quickly, too quickly, and found himself right back on the ground. The injury to his head had made him dizzy.

"Stay the hell away from me," Harry muttered, trying to calm his spinning head. He opened his eyes and found the man before him hadn't taken a single step towards him. Crawling, Harry finally made it to his wand. He turned and pointed it at the man, expecting to see a wand pointed back at him.

But the man remained where he was; his arms raised, palms forward, in surrender.

"Who are you?" Harry growled, standing. His legs shook, but at least he remained standing this time.

"Harry, it's me," the man said, lowering his arms slightly.

"Don't move," Harry said, his eyes flashing.

"I'm not going anywhere," the man said carefully, eyeing Harry's wand warily.

"I'll ask again," Harry began, slowly moving towards the man. "Who. Are. You?"

"Sirius Black," the man said calmly, "Padfoot to my friends. Your godfather–"

"–is dead!" Harry screamed.

The man winced as red sparks shot from the tip of Harry's wand. "What can I do to convince you, Harry?" the man asked, almost desperately.

Harry wracked his brain for something, anything only the _real_ Sirius Black could possibly know. Something that there was no way possible Wormtail could have told his Death Eater buddies.

"What did Sirius say to me outside the Whomping Willow the night we met?" Harry asked in a tense voice, remembering the conversation with his godfather.

"I offered to give you a home – to let you live with me instead of the poor excuse for relatives you have now. But Wormtail escaped, and I never got that chance," the man said promptly. Harry could hear the emotions in the tone of his voice. The regret, the anger, the sadness. It was all there…

Without realizing, Harry lowered his wand slightly.

"And that day before your disciplinary hearing when you asked me if you could come live with me if you were expelled… I wanted to say yes. I really did. But I couldn't. I actually found myself hoping they did expel you. Then you'd get to stay," the man admitted sadly.

When Harry glanced down at his hand, he found it empty; his wand lay next to his feet. He moved his gaze back to the man before him.

"Sirius?" He whispered, not daring to believe it.

The man grinned in relief and nodded. "The one and only."


	5. Explanations

_**Black Letters**_

By Neurotica

_Five: Explanations_

Harry stared dazedly at his godfather… his _dead_ godfather… "But you're… I saw you… you're…"

"Dead?" Sirius said casually. "Yeah, I thought so too. But the thing is… I'm not," he added in a loud whisper.

"But… how…?" Harry asked weakly, completely bewildered.

Sirius shrugged and sat down on the slide next to Harry. "Honestly? I have no idea. I know I went through the veil. But… I don't know. Next minute – or so it seemed – I'm lying in the middle of a Muggle street. Cool, huh?" he grinned.

Harry could only stare at him as if he were crazy. Hell, he probably was, and that made Harry crazy for believing him. It was what he'd hoped for since that night in the Department of Mysteries. His godfather was sitting right in front of him. His grin was beginning to fade at Harry's silence, but he was sitting there nonetheless. Maybe it was all a dream…

Harry reached over with his right hand and pinched his left arm hard. "Ow," he muttered, rubbing the sore spot. Sirius raised an eyebrow at his godson's actions. _Definitely not a dream…_ Harry thought.

With another notion in mind, Harry reached over to Sirius half expecting to find he was cold and that his hand would go right through his body. But when Harry pushed Sirius half way off the slide before he was convinced, Sirius laughed. _Okay, not a ghost._

"Do you have any idea how absurd this is?" Harry asked aloud.

"Some, yeah," Sirius answered, still grinning.

"Just making sure I'm not the only one," Harry muttered, sitting beside Sirius on the sand, not taking his green eyes off of him. "Does anyone else know?"

"Nope," Sirius said loftily. "Not yet. I reckoned you'd want to see me first. I did see Remus when you two were sitting here talking, though."

"And you thought I'd be easier to convince?" Harry said with raised eyebrows.

Sirius laughed. "Well, no. I knew you'd be the hardest to convince, actually. And I was right, wasn't I? Didn't Dumbledore ever teach you not to point your wand at the good guys?"

"Yeah, but he also taught me things aren't always what they seem," Harry said darkly.

Sirius nodded thoughtfully. "Very true," he said. "What time is it?"

"1:30."

"And when was the last time you slept?"

"Last night," Harry lied. Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Two nights ago," he finally admitted.

"Thought so," Sirius muttered.

"Were you outside my window the other night?" Harry asked.

"Yep."

"So I'm not crazy, then?"

"Well, I wouldn't go that far," Sirius teased. "Look, why don't you go back and get some sleep? I'll still be here tomorrow. And bring some food when you come back. That damn owl ate the toast I wanted," Sirius said as an after thought.

Harry nodded and stood. He picked up his forgotten wand and Invisibility Cloak. "Do you want to keep this for the time being?" he asked, holding out the cloak for Sirius.

For a moment, Harry's godfather seemed to consider it. "No, you keep it. I've got Padfoot," he grinned.

Harry chuckled. "Okay, I'll be back in the morning, then."

Sirius winked, transformed into the black dog, and bounded off into the trees.

* * *

As promised, Harry returned to the park the next day with a knapsack loaded with food. He looked around for Sirius, and felt a tug on his pant leg. Harry looked down and smiled at his godfather in dog form.

"Lead the way," the teenager said.

The dog that Harry once thought was going to haunt him until he died led him into the bushes and down a path he'd never noticed. Deeper in the woods surrounding the park, Harry saw what his godfather had been calling home. Leaves and branches formed a makeshift bed, and Harry could see the brown owl that brought Sirius' notes to him asleep in a tree with its head under its wing.

Sirius transformed back and sat with a sigh on the leaves, eyeing Harry's bag hungrily. Harry grinned and sat next to him, reaching into the brown bag. He pulled out freshly made eggs and bacon stored in Aunt Petunia's plastic ware. He handed one of the bowl's to Sirius and retrieved the large jug of orange juice he'd brought.

"You're a saint," Sirius said thickly through his breakfast. "My favorite godson."

Harry grinned. "You're _only_ godson."

Sirius leaned over and ruffled Harry's hair.

The pair spent the day discussing what had been happening in the wizarding world. Sirius was quite bitter when he commented that it was about time Fudge listened to Dumbledore. Sirius also asked what happened after he fell through the veil. Harry hesitated, but told him everything – from the chase of Bellatrix Lestrange to Dumbledore's telling him of the Prophecy.

"I wanted to tell you about that, Harry," Sirius said quietly and sincerely, looking Harry in the eye. "I got into a fight with Remus about it, actually. He wanted to tell you too, but being the reasonable werewolf he is, he knew we couldn't. I'm sorry," he added.

Harry nodded. "Me too," he whispered.

"For what?"

"For – you know – killing you" Harry answered, still feeling strange about the whole situation.

"Dirt under the road," Sirius said airily.

"Water under the bridge," Harry corrected him with a grin.

"Whatever."


	6. Telling Moony

_**Black Letters**_

By Neurotica

_Six: Telling Moony_

Over the next few days, Sirius and Harry came up with a plan to inform the Order of the Phoenix of Sirius' return. Granted, it was a very weak plan; it was hard to figure out how to convince a group of some of the most suspicious people in the wizarding world that one of their own had returned. So they decided to start with Remus. Harry would write the former professor a letter, asking Remus to meet him in the park, and then Harry would bring him to Sirius' hiding spot.

Harry pointed out all the things that could go wrong upon Lupin's arrival. One example was that the werewolf would notice the strangeness of Harry's letter and bring someone with him. Another scenario was that Lupin would see Sirius, believe he was an impostor, and take him to the Ministry where the Dementors would be waiting to administer a Kiss to Sirius. At this point, Sirius suggested Harry stop being so optimistic and just write the damn letter.

* * *

Remus was sitting in the library of the Order's Headquarters when Hedwig flew through the house and landed on the arm of his sofa. He smiled at Harry's owl and fed her a piece of toast left over from his breakfast. Hedwig hooted in thanks and munched on the treat while Remus read Harry's letter.

_Professor Lupin—_

_Could you meet me in the park at 4:00 this afternoon? It's kind of important._

—_Harry _

Remus raised an eyebrow and glanced at the grandfather clock across from him _3:30_, it said. He stroked Hedwig once and stood from the sofa. He threw the book he'd been researching thought down on the table and made his way down the stairs.

The page he had left open showed a dais with a sinister-looking stone archway and a tattered veil fluttering gently in a light breeze.

* * *

Harry waited anxiously at the edge of the wood for Lupin. Any moment now, he'd see the shabby but respectable werewolf turn the corner. What would happen in the next hour, Harry didn't know. Sirius felt confident that his old friend would be easy to convince, but Harry didn't share his feelings. He liked Lupin immensely, but at the same time he didn't want to see his godfather go back to Azkaban, or worse…

Harry gulped nervously as he spotted Lupin's arrival. The former professor approached him looking quite concerned. "What's happened?" he asked immediately.

"I, uh, need to show you something," Harry said lamely.

Lupin raised an eyebrow at his best friend's son as the boy headed into the woods around them. He followed Harry without questioning what was happening. That didn't last long, however, when Remus laid eyes on the clearing they'd walked upon. Sitting in the center was the last person he'd thought he'd ever see again.

"Harry… get back…" Remus said, taking out his wand and putting himself between Harry and Sirius.

Harry tried to explain what was happening to Remus, but he wasn't sure the older wizard was even listening. Through it all, Sirius hadn't moved; he'd only been on the other side of Remus' wand once before, and he wasn't anticipating repeating the experience any time soon.

"Sirius, do something!" Harry called to his godfather.

"That isn't Sirius, Harry," Remus spat.

Sirius raised an eyebrow casually and transformed into Padfoot. The dog still hadn't moved an inch, but its tongue was hanging from its mouth and its tail was wagging playfully.

Remus began to slowly shake his head. "No… it's not possible," he whispered.

Sirius returned to his human self and stood before Remus. "Hey, Moony," he said. "You're looking a bit peaky. Full moon coming up?"

Apparently this was enough for Remus; he lowered his wand and embraced his friend.

Harry watched the exchange with a grin. One down, only the rest of the world to go.

Sirius and Harry explained to Remus what had been happening. It was obvious Remus was over the moon (no pun intended) to have his friend back, but still skeptical.

"Why didn't you tell me about these letters?" he asked Harry.

Harry shrugged. "I was going to mention it to Tonks, but when it turned out to be you instead, I kind of forgot," he answered honestly.

"Hmm, easily sidetracked," Sirius noted. "Yet another characteristic of the great James Potter. Don't you agree, Mr. Moony?"

Remus grinned. "Mr. Moony agrees with Mr. Padfoot, but wishes Mr. Padfoot would tell him why he didn't return to Headquarters?"

"With all those Aurors around? Not to mention Mad-Eye. By the time I made it to the kitchen, I would have been nothing more than a pile of goo on the floor," Sirius said.

"Most likely. And that would have been before I got a hold of you," Remus said, smirking.

"So, what are you going to tell Dumbledore?" Harry asked, not wanting to interrupt the two friends, but curious.

"The best way to deal with Albus Dumbledore, Harry, is the truth. When you're in trouble as much as James and I were in school, you'll find that's actually the only way. Because that man knows… And if you're lucky, all you'll get is a lemon drop and a night's detention," Sirius replied.

"You would be the expert," Remus said.

"876 detentions," Sirius sighed reminiscently. "Those were the days."

"876?" Harry asked incredulously. "How did you manage _that_?"

Sirius grinned. "Oh how I longed for the day you would asked me that," he said.

Rolling his eyes, but smiling, Remus listened as Sirius told Harry about the majority of their detentions at Hogwarts. The rest of the world could wait until tomorrow.


	7. Order of the Phoenix

_**Black Letters**_

By Neurotica

_Seven: Order of the Phoenix_

Remus walked into the Order's Headquarters seemingly alone. He only hoped Moody wasn't around; his magical eye could see through Invisibility Cloaks, Harry had told them.

There was a quiet hum of voices floating up the staircase to the basement kitchen, one of which was a low gruff voice. _Dammit,_ Remus thought. For a second, the werewolf considered sending Sirius upstairs until he could talk to everyone. But even there Moody would be able to see him. That was an advantage of a magical eye, after all. Sighing, Remus could only hope his friend was ready for the barrage of questions and wand pointing that would surely hit him the moment the cloak was removed.

"Now or never, Remus," Sirius muttered quietly.

Nodding, Remus led the way to the kitchen. A small portion of the Order had gathered around the large kitchen table to enjoy Molly's famous meatballs. Tonks, Kingsley, Arthur, Dung, Moody, and Molly herself looked up when Remus entered. The werewolf could see Moody's regular eye widen in surprise as his magical one landed presumably on Sirius.

"Remus, dear," Molly said. "You're right on time. Sit, sit, eat."

"I don't think Lupin wants to eat at the moment, do you, Remus?" Moody growled in a slight threateningly way.

Now, Remus J. Lupin was never the type to be intimidated; he'd seen too much. Naturally he feared Minerva McGonagall's wrath, but that's about as far as it went. However, right at that moment, Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody was the one to fear. Remus should have prepared himself for this before he and Sirius took the Knight Bus to Grimmuald Place. He could feel Sirius shaking in what he presumed was laughter from under the cloak.

"Might I inquire as to what is going on here?" said a quiet, calm voice.

Remus nearly whimpered in fear as he spun around to face Dumbledore. He, too, could see through Invisibility Cloaks; the Marauders learned that the hard way. Remus found himself at a loss for words – something that never happened to him before; needless to say, he didn't enjoy the experience.

"This is quite interesting, Remus. Would you care to explain?" Dumbledore said, not taking his blue eyes from Sirius. Remus knew that 'would you care to explain' was Dumbledore-talk for 'tell me what the _hell_ is going on before I curse you from here to Hawaii'.

It was like they were back in school, in Dumbledore's office, waiting for their punishment. Of course, this punishment could be much worse than a detention in the dungeons. "Well, you see sir," Remus began, not sure how to phrase it.

Dumbledore merely raised an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation. This made Remus, if possible, more nervous. The rest of the room had grown stone quiet, no one even dared to breathe. With the exception of Dumbledore and Moody, none of them could see what was happening. "Sirius is…"

"Alive?" Dumbledore finished quietly.

"Yes," Remus said, hoping to Merlin they didn't send him to St Mungo's for an evaluation.

The reaction was immediate: Two collective gasps from Molly and Tonks; jaws dropping to the table from Arthur and Kingsley; Moody's grunt; Dung reaching up a finger to clean his ears. They all waited to see Dumbledore's reaction. Their leader smiled softly and reached over to pull the cloak from Sirius' head.

"You should return this to Harry. I'm sure he'll be needing it at some point this year," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling.

Once the initial shock of seeing Sirius had worn off, Tonks flew over the table and hugged her cousin tightly. The others greeted Sirius in their own ways. Molly had to excuse herself while she blew her nose.

"You believe him?" Remus asked Dumbledore, shocked at the headmaster's trust.

"The fact that you believe him, and Harry, of course, is good enough for me," the older wizard said.

"How'd you know about Harry?"

Dumbledore smiled mysteriously and moved to the center of the room, leaving a very confused Remus Lupin in his wake.

The rest of the evening was spent in celebration of Sirius' return. Dung had procured some expensive wine and nobody, not even Molly for a change, cared where or how he'd gotten it.

Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Ginny wandered in on the festivities later in the night. Molly had nearly forgotten about them in all the excitement.

All of them were thrilled to see Sirius back among them. Hermione had, of course, questioned him thoroughly about what had happened to him. They wanted to know if Harry knew; Sirius assured them he did. They wanted to know when Harry would get to come back; Dumbledore assured them very soon.

Finally the interrogations ended when Molly sent them all to bed. "Give the man some room to breathe," she said, sticking a fourth plate of meatballs in front of Sirius.

Dumbledore and the others filled Sirius in on what had been happening with Voldemort and the Ministry. A new Minister of Magic would be appointed at the end of the summer due to Fudge's blatant refusal to believe Voldemort had returned.

Two deaths had occurred in the past week at Voldemort's wand, but they all knew that was only the tip of the iceberg.

Following Remus tiredly up the stairs at 3:00 am, Sirius said goodnight to his friend and went to Buckbeak's room. Since he'd been gone, the hippogriff had not been happy. Remus said he would run anyone but him from the room and only accept food when he was in the mood – which wasn't very often.

Bowing to the majestic creature, Sirius couldn't help but think things were looking up.


	8. The Rest of the World

_**Black Letters**_

By Neurotica

_Eight: The Rest of the World_

Harry came to stay at Number Twelve a few days after the Order had been informed about Sirius Black's miraculous return. He was happy to finally realize that it hadn't all been a dream, after all, that Sirius really was back.

The next step, according to Dumbledore, was to inform the Ministry of Magic. The moment Sirius was told of this, he grew understandably anxious. "Why would we want to do that?" he'd asked. Dumbledore explained that Fudge would have no choice but to believe Sirius' innocence. Dumbledore had been right about everything else, after all.

Everybody tried to assure Sirius that everything would work out, that his innocence would be declared. But behind closed doors, far away from Sirius, Harry dropped the façade and grew just as anxious as his godfather.

"But what if Fudge decides just to throw him back to the Dementors?" Harry asked Hermione and Ron the morning Sirius was to meet with the Minister.

"There's no way he can, Harry. Sirius is innocent, and once Fudge hears the evidence – I'm sure they'll use Veritaserum – he'll have to set Sirius free," Hermione said patiently, knitting some hats for the Hogwarts house-elves with some of Mrs. Weasley's charmed needles.

"But what if–"

"Harry, if you don't stop, I'm going to tell Fred and George that you've volunteered to be their next test subject," Ron said, smirking.

"Right, sorry," Harry muttered. "It's just… he's back now, and…" he trailed off looking helpless.

"We know, Harry. It'll be okay, you'll see," Hermione smiled gently.

* * *

Sirius followed Dumbledore to his office in dog form. Remus was next to him to provide moral support for the meeting with Fudge. Sirius, however, could smell his friend's nervousness; apparently he wasn't the only one who believed this could go very badly.

"Ice Mice," Dumbledore said happily to the stone gargoyles guarding his study. Sirius wanted to bite him in the ankles for being so calm. But one didn't bite Albus Dumbledore, Animagus or not.

The two wizards and dog silently made their way up the revolving staircase and into the office.

Cornelius Fudge waited in front of Dumbledore's desk, twirling his lime green bowler hat. "It's about time, Dumbledore. I've been waiting for nearly half an hour," the soon-to-be-replaced Minister said, irritated.

"My apologies, Cornelius, for your wait. Thank you for coming this morning," Dumbledore said calmly, forcing a smile. "I assume you know Remus Lupin?"

"Yes, yes, hello," Fudge said to Remus. "What's this about, Dumbledore? And whose dog is that?"

"Funny you should mention the dog, Cornelius. I'm sure you'll recall a few years ago when Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban?" Dumbledore asked.

"How could I forget? One of the worst moments in my career."

Remus exchanged a skeptical glance with the large black dog sitting beside his chair.

"Do you also recall when I informed you that Sirius Black is in fact innocent of all charges?" the headmaster asked lightly, sitting behind his desk.

"Yes," Fudge said tensely. "What does that have to do with anything? You said Black died."

Dumbledore gave a clear nod to the dog causing Fudge to look over his shoulder. The dog hesitated, looking at Remus. Remus scratched the dog behind the ears and softly said, "Go ahead. Molly's making a large dinner tonight."

Fudge was now looking as if he was ready to book Remus a bed in St Mungo's.

Slowly, the dog transformed into a tall man with long black hair, and dead looking gray eyes.

"Black!" Fudge yelled, jumping so fast from his chair that it fell over.

"Cornelius, please calm yourself for a moment and have a seat," Dumbledore said quietly.

Fudge's face was beet red, and he was pointing a shaking finger at the man he believed to be a deadly escaped convict. "What are you playing at, Dumbledore?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"Sit down, Cornelius," Dumbledore said again. Reluctantly, Fudge sat down again, not once taking his eyes off of Sirius.

* * *

Harry sat fidgeting in the basement kitchen of Order Headquarters. Molly had decided to wait on the large dinner until the others returned and made the children some bacon sandwiches and a cauldron of soup. None of them could bring themselves to eat. All of their minds were on what was happening at Hogwarts. They hadn't heard anything, good or bad, from Dumbledore, and Harry was assuming the worst. Sirius could be soulless by now, for all he knew.

Harry had only had his godfather back for a week. He'd been happier than he had been in years. If Harry lost Sirius again, he didn't know what he would do.

The kitchen door opened and Remus Lupin led Sirius Black, still in dog form, down the stairs. They all looked up eagerly for news, but were disappointed to see that Remus' face was void of all emotion. It couldn't have been too bad; Sirius was standing right in front of them.

"Well?" Harry demanded of Remus.

When Sirius transformed back, his face was also empty. The only two remaining Marauders looked at one another, and, very slowly, both faces were filled with large grins.


	9. Innocence and Birthday Surprises

_**Black Letters**_

By Neurotica

_Nine: Innocence and Birthday Surprises_

On the morning of Harry Potter's sixteenth birthday, his newly freed godfather, Sirius Black, woke and showered before the sun had even risen and snuck to Remus Lupin's bedroom. He opened the door and moved soundlessly to his friend's bedside. Sirius had to admit that even asleep, Remus still seemed to be the most mature out of the Marauders. He was lying on his back, arms crossed over his chest, not snoring. Remus had been the only one in their dormitory who never snored; the other three made it sound as if there was a freight train running through their room.

"Moony," Sirius whispered. Did I mention that Remus was a very heavy sleeper as well? "Remus," he said louder.

Sirius rolled his eyes and looked around the room. Smirking, he took his wand from his pocket and performed a silencing charm around the room. Pointing his wand to his own throat, Sirius muttered a charm.

"Remus Lupin!" said the sharp voice of Minerva McGonagall. "What have I told you about sleeping in my class?"

Remus sat straight up in his bed and looked wildly around the room. "Sorry, Professor," he muttered tiredly. He looked to his left upon hearing McGonagall laughing hard, and saw Sirius doubled over with tears streaming down his red face. Remus collapsed back on his bed and reached over for his wand. "Git," he muttered, pointing his wand at Sirius. "_Finite Incantatem."_

Once Sirius had mostly calmed himself, he said, "Get up, it's time."

* * *

"Where are we going?" Harry asked as Remus led him from Number Twelve later in the afternoon.

"You'll see," Remus said mysteriously.

"Where's Sirius?" Harry asked.

"You'll see," Remus repeated with a smirk.

"Okay," Harry said slowly.

Remus flung out his wand arm before Harry had a chance to stop him. With a loud _bang_ the purple triple-decker Knight Bus skidded to a halt just in front of them. "Welcome to the Knight Bus, transportation for the stranded witch or wizard. My name's–"

"Yes, yes, we know," Remus said briskly, putting some coins in Stan Shunpike's hand. "Go find a seat, Harry. I'll be back in a moment."

"Harry–"

"Don't do it, Stan," Remus warned. Stan shut his mouth abruptly.

Harry walked to the back of the bus, trying to ignore the stares and whispers around him, and found two empty seats for him and Remus. Sirius had been gone when Harry woke that morning. He seemed to be the only one who didn't know where he'd gone, and no one would tell him anything; they'd only smiled and wished him a happy birthday.

Remus sat down next to him and they braced themselves as the Knight Bus took off.

At the end of the ride, feeling slightly nauseated, Harry followed Remus off the bus and up the sidewalk. He looked around the neighborhood they'd arrived in. Large houses with perfectly kept green lawns and families playing in their front yards surrounded them. It seemed to be an all wizarding neighborhood.

"Where are we?" Harry asked quietly, looking around.

Again, Remus said, "You'll see."

They walked up the front sidewalk of one of the houses. As Remus used the lion shaped doorknocker, Harry glanced at the shiny gold number two just above the large white door.

A shadow moved in front of the tinted window. Hesitating just for a moment, the shadow opened the door, and Harry laid eyes on his grinning godfather.

"Happy Birthday, Harry!" Sirius said, stretching his arms wide.

"Thanks, Sirius," Harry responded, raising his eyebrows slightly. He looked at Remus; the werewolf was smiling at Sirius and Harry.

"Well, come in," Sirius said, moving aside for his godson and friend to enter.

Harry entered and looked around the house. It looked like a normal family's home. A few plants were scattered around the hallway, photos lined the walls. But what would Sirius be doing here? The wizard in question led them to the kitchen, and offered them a Butterbeer. Sitting at the kitchen table with his own drink, Sirius continued to grin as Harry took a look around.

"Where are we?" Harry asked again, this time directing the question to Sirius.

"My new house," Sirius said proudly. "Well, _our_ new house," he added with a nervous glance to Remus.

Again, Harry raised his eyebrows. "Oh, I – um – had no idea you two were…" he began, looking between the two and wiggling his fingers.

"What?" Sirius said loudly while Remus choked on his Butterbeer. "No, Harry! Remus and me aren't – EW!" he added childishly.

"Oh," Harry said, feeling embarrassed. "It's just, you said 'we', and I thought–"

"Yes, I said 'we', but I didn't mean Remus; I, uh, meant… well, you," Sirius said, looking nervously at Harry.

Harry's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. "What?" he whispered.

"I talked to Dumbledore," Sirius said, tapping his fingers on the kitchen table. "And he said that as long as we take proper precautions, you can live with me. If you still want to, that is," he added quickly at the look on Harry's face.

"Are you serious?"

Sirius grinned and Remus groaned. "Don't start, Sirius," he warned.

"Shut up, Moony," Sirius chuckled. "So, what do you say, Harry?"

The smile that formed on Harry's face was the biggest one either wizard had ever seen on him. "When can I move in?"


	10. Revenge and a Happy Ending

_**Black Letters**_

By Neurotica

_Chapter Ten: Revenge and a Happy Ending_

The day after Harry's birthday, and a large party at Sirius' new house, Remus, Sirius, and Harry walked silently up the front path of Number Four, Privet Drive.

Harry quietly opened the front door and peaked in. He could hear Dudley in the living room laughing loudly at something on the television. Aunt Petunia was somewhere in the kitchen, presumably cleaning.

"Go up and gather your things, Harry, we'll deal with your aunt," Remus said.

Harry nodded and went up the stairs. The two friends exchanged a look and walked to the kitchen.

"Petunia!" Sirius cried in mock-happiness. "Smashing to see you, old girl! I must say, you have a _lovely_ home!"

Petunia, who had been scrubbing the oven, jumped and hit her head. She backed out of the oven and stared petrified at the two grinning wizards before her. "You!" she said pointing at Sirius.

"Me!" Sirius confirmed cheerfully. "You know, I've missed you, Petunia. I must admit, I had quite a bit of a fancy for you." Sirius mentally shivered at the lie, and could feel Remus' incredulous gaze upon him.

"What are you doing here?" Petunia asked fearfully. "Leave my family alone!"

"Oh, we have no intention of harming your poor excuse of a family, Petunia. We just wanted to have a nice little chat with you about Harry," Sirius said, his fake smile fading almost immediately.

"He – he's not here," Petunia stuttered.

"Oh, but he is. He's gathering his belongings, and he won't be returning here next year," Remus said calmly.

"But that's not the only thing we wanted to discuss," Sirius said, dropping the cheery façade. "What's this I hear about you and old Vernie boy locking my godson in a cupboard for ten years?"

* * *

It had only taken Harry five minutes to pack his things; he really didn't own anything besides what was in his Hogwarts trunk at his new home. But he decided it best to stay up stairs for a while longer. Sirius and Remus (as the professor had asked Harry to call him) wanted to have a chat with his aunt. Though he was reluctant to leave Sirius Black alone with Petunia, Remus has promised he would keep Sirius from doing anything permanent.

When he returned down the stairs with a small knapsack, the house was eerily silent. The television was no longer blaring, and there was no trace of Dudley or Petunia anywhere. Cautiously, Harry walked to the kitchen and found Sirius and Remus calmly drinking tea from the Dursley's finest china.

"Ready to go, Harry?" Remus asked, setting his cup on the table.

"Um, yes. Where's my Aunt Petunia?" Harry asked, noting the too-innocent look on Sirius' face.

"No need to worry about that, kiddo. Let's go home," Sirius said, leading the three of them out of Number Four.

As they walked through the living room, Harry noticed something odd about the photos on the walls and the fire's mantle place. Instead of the normal pictures of Dudley, they had been switched with photos of the Marauders, Lily, and Harry. There was not one picture with a Dursley.

"That was Moony's idea," Sirius whispered to Harry as the boy watched his parents smiling down at him. Harry turned around to find Remus grinning at his fine work.

The three wizards left the house, and took the Knight Bus to their new home.

* * *

Vernon Dursley walked tiredly through the front door of his normal looking home that night, hoping Petunia had prepared a large dinner. _Dudley must be out_, he thought as he noticed the silence in the house.

"Petunia! I'm home," he called through the house. His wife didn't answer.

Grumbling that she was probably out back reading one of her magazines, Vernon walked to the kitchen, not noticing the rude gestures the photos on his wall were making.

As he passed the cupboard under the stairs, he heard strange noises coming from behind the door. Raising a fat eyebrow, Vernon pulled open the door and yelled in surprise. Petunia and Dudley were bound and gagged in the small cupboard, looking fearfully at the Dursley patriarch.

* * *

"I cannot believe you did that," Harry said, staring at his Godfather that night.

"Believe it," Sirius said, laughing.

"Wow," Harry said, feeling laughter bubble through him.

"Your cousin was a little harder to get in there, but Remus threw a few Chocolate Frogs in the cupboard and he went right in," Sirius said.

"Wow," Harry repeated, joining Sirius in the laughter.

The two of them laughed together for a few minutes before Harry sobered himself and looked thoughtfully at his Godfather.

"What?" Sirius asked. "Do I have food in my teeth?" He began to pick at said teeth.

Harry smiled and shook his head. "No, it's not that. It's just… well, thanks. For everything," he said shyly.

Sirius smiled softly. "Anytime, Harry. Anytime."

End


End file.
